A Matter of Time
by Nightmare139
Summary: Aaron Rosendorn works as a page at the New-York Circulating Materials Repository. He's the only one with access to the Wells Bequest, a special collection filled with hundreds of science fiction objects. One day, Aaron realizes that objects are disappearing. First smaller objects, but soon more important ones. Aaron, along with the other pages, try to find the culprit.
1. Chapter 1: The Electronic Thumb

Hi! I suppose there aren't very many fanfictions about The Grimm Legacy, but I hope whoever does read this enjoys it. If you follow me and my other stories, I know I haven't been on very much, but I'll do my best to keep updating my stories. Reviews definitely help. Here are some things to keep in mind during this story: 1. This is an AU where most of the events in the Grimm Legacy didn't happen, besides Elizabeth joining the repository. 2. This fanfiction is more about what would have happened if someone stole from the Well's Bequest instead of the Grimm Collection.

Also, I do not own The Grimm Legacy or any of its characters, they belong to Polly Shulman. However, I have made some OC's for this fanfic. So, without further ado, onto the story!

* * *

I made my way down the snowy streets of New York, doing my best to cover myself up in my jacket and scarf. Don't get me wrong; I do enjoy the colder months, just not when the temperature is plummeting this far below zero. It was far too frigid out here for my liking, and I was relieved when I finally arrived at the semi-warm subway station. I was right on time for the train, as always. I checked my messenger bag to make sure the object I had borrowed yesterday from the Wells Bequest - a small hologram projector- was still intact. Fortunately, it was fine, so I boarded the subway train just before the doors closed shut behind me.

The rumble of the train was rhythmic, almost putting me to sleep. It had been a long day at school. Actually, everyday was a long day at school. I wasn't the most popular guy there, not that it mattered to me. Nobody there was worth my time. However, I was apparently worth their time, as they constantly refused to leave me alone.

* * *

_"What's this, Aaron?" The tall boy snatched the book out of Aaron's hands, who scowled and tried to grab it back. "'The Time Machine'? Wow. As if you couldn't get any nerdier." _

_"Give me that, you dumbass. You wouldn't know good literature if it punched you in the face." Aaron retorted smoothly. _

_"How about I punch _you _in the face instead?" _

* * *

The subway train began to slow to a stop, and I realized that it was time to get off. I worked as a page at the New York Circulating Materials Repository, which I loved much more than school. I was the only page who had access to the Wells Bequest, a collection of objects that all related to science fiction in some way or another. There were many other special collections, but that one was my favorite. I had always loved science fiction since I was a kid.

I got off the train and walked up to street level, and walked to the familiar building. It was far larger on the inside than it looked, and was a very popular place to visit, mostly because of the one-of-a-kind Tiffany windows. I'd seen them myself, and have to admit that they're a sight worth seeing.

I walked up the steps and into the Repository, taking in the familiar surroundings. The dark, wooden front desk at the far end of the room had a few people lined up in front of it, and another page, Josh, was taking care of them. I decided to bring my borrowed object back to Dr. Rust, or Doc, as most of the pages called him here. I walked into the brass elevator, and rode up to the fifth floor. I located Dr. Rust's office, and knocked on the wooden door. After a few moments, Doc came to the doorway, motioning for me to come inside.

"Hello, Aaron. Here to return the hologram projector?" Dr. Rust asked. I nodded, pulling out the object from my messenger bag. I had made sure to keep it from any harm, or else I would've lost my sense of smell forever. I handed it over to Doc, who looked it over carefully, and then took out the kuduo. He opened the lid, and pulled out my sense of smell. It looked odd; something that anyone else of whom didn't work here would've found almost unreal. It was like a dark cloud, but seemed to be somewhat solid. Doc gave it to me, and the moment my palms touched it, the sense drifted back into me. I was now able to smell the mustiness of Dr. Rust's small office.

"Thanks, Doc." I said, getting ready to leave.

"Just a moment, Aaron, before you go," Dr. Rust began, closing the kuduo once again and placing it inside a cabinet, "We're going to be having a new page here on Tuesday. Her name is Elizabeth Rew. Happen to know her?"

I thought a moment, trying to put a face with the name, but no one came to mind. "I don't."

"Alright. Well, I'm going to have you help her out on her first day. Just show her how to run a call slip."

"Sounds easy enough." I replied. I waved goodbye to Doc, and left his office.

_So, a new page. Great._ I thought, _hopefully she proves to be useful; not many of the others around here are. Well, except for-_

"Aaron!" _Anjali._

"Hey, what's going on?" I asked her. Anjali was shorter than me, had naturally tan skin, and shiny ebony hair. Her eyes were a chocolate brown color, very dark, I could almost get lost in them...

"I have a call slip for an object in the Wells Bequest. Since you're the only one with access, I came to find you." She told me, holding out the slip. I took it, and looked to see what object it was. The Electronic Thumb.

"Huh. Wonder why someone wants this." I said. The Electronic Thumb was a device that let you transport onto alien spaceships flying through interstellar space. It was one of the more important objects, too. "Did the customer already check with Dr. Rust about it?"

"Yup. I have more call slips to run, so I better go." Anjali told me quickly. I sighed quietly.

"Oh, right. See you later, then." I replied, but she was already walking away. Typical. All the girls in this damn place never paid any attention to me; it was always Marc. I never understood what was so great about an egotistic athlete, anyway. I shook the thoughts away and focused on my job. That was what was more important.

I took the elevator to the basement where all the Special Collections were located. It was almost deserted, except for Ms. Callender. She was one of the librarians at the Repository. As I walked by her to the door of the Wells Bequest, she spotted me and called my name.

"Aaron! Running a call slip for the Wells Bequest?" She asked. I turned to her and nodded.

"The Electronic Thumb."

"Hm. That's interesting. Anyways, did you hear about the new page?"

"Yes. I'm going to be helping her run a call slip on her first day." I replied.

"Right. I'm just reminding the pages beforehand to make sure you don't let her know about, well, the more obscure objects in the Repository right away. We'll make sure to tell her when she's ready."

"Honestly, Ms. Callender, you know I'd never do such a thing."

"I know, Aaron, I just wanted to make sure." She told me, "carry on with your work." I nodded, and opened the door to the Wells Bequest with the special key Doc had given me. After a few weeks working here, he had noticed how well versed I was in my knowledge of science fiction literature. So, he decided to give me access and let me run call slips in the collection. I was fascinated with it at first, but soon I had grown accustomed to the fact of such things being real. All the pages who had been here for awhile knew of the existence of magic, and powerful technology, among other things. Some of them, such as Anjali and Marc, belonged to magical families as well.

I looked to the call slip to remind myself where The Electronic Thumb was located, and soon found where it would be. Well, where it was _supposed _to be.

The object was gone.


	2. Chapter 2: Problem Solving

I wasn't sure what to do; this never had been a problem before. The objects I had to collect were always there, none of them had ever gone missing before. How would anyone be able to get into the Wells Bequest, anyway? You had to have a key, or else opening the door was no hope. There were no other entrances, either.

Although, there had been some odd happenings around this place recently. One of the pages, Mona, had left the Repository. We never heard from her after that, but nobody payed too much attention to her leaving after a few days. Although, alongside that, I had noticed a few strange people coming to the Repository. I mean, a lot of odd people came here, but there was just something about these people. I was able to see magic; if something was abnormally vibrant, it was almost always magical, or had unusual properties. These people reeked of magic. I was unsure whether they had anything to do with it, but either way, I decided it would be best to tell someone.

I left the Wells Bequest, and looked for Ms. Callender. Thankfully, she was just coming out of the Grimm Collection.

As a side note, the Grimm Collection is another one of the special collections. The objects inside all come from the stories of The Brothers Grimm. Everything in there is magical, and almost all the pages count it as their favorite collection. Although I was surprised when I was told about it- my logical way of thinking had a hard time accepting it - it wasn't exactly my thing.

"Ms. Callender!" I called to her, "I need to tell you something important."

"Hm? What seems to be the problem?" She replied, walking closer so she could hear me.

"I went into the Wells Bequest, but when I looked in the spot that The Electronic Thumb should be located, I couldn't find it."

"It wasn't there? Are you sure?" She asked, a look of worry encompassing her face.

"I'm positive. What should we do?"

"I'm not sure. This has never really happened before..." She seemed to be thinking deeply, then said, "I'll tell the other staff members to keep their eyes peeled for any suspicious behavior. At the very best, this might just be a blip in the system."

"Alright. Hopefully it's nothing serious." I replied.

* * *

I was on the subway back home around 5:30 PM. An object going missing was a bit nerve wracking, but I tried not to let it get to me. As Ms. Callender said, it might've just been a problem with the system, and somebody made two call slips by mistake.

The snow was still coming down, but not as hard as it was earlier. The temperature was also a bit more comfortable, I realized, as I walked back to my house. It was almost right next to the Museum of Natural History, a small apartment where only myself and my mom lived. My dad had left before I was old enough to remember him, but my mom still had a couple pictures around the house. She never gave me a straight answer as to why he had left, but then again, I didn't really care. Thinking about a father who wasn't even good enough to stay with his own family wasn't worth my time. He'd never even called me, or sent letters - he did nothing. He was nothing. So I stopped caring about him.

I walked up the steps to the apartment door. Inside, Jim, the concierge, greeted me.

"Hi, Jim. Is my mom home?"

"She left a couple hours ago. Not sure where." He replied. I nodded in response, and took the stairs up to our floor. The apartment was a bit small, but large enough for two people.

I sat on the couch, taking a book from my messenger bag. Since the boy from school, Jared, I believe his name was, took my book, I had to go and buy a new one. It was one of my favorites. 'The Time Traveler' by H.G. Wells, after whom the Wells Bequest was named. I would love to travel through time, and I was able to, of course, but I didn't want to risk messing with the space-time continuum and causing horrible paradoxes.

After an hour or so of reading, my mom arrived back from wherever she had been.

"Aaron! Are you home?"

"Yes, mom. I'm in the living room."

I heard the noise of groceries being set down on the counter, and then footsteps walking into the living room.

"How was work today?" She asked, switching on the TV to the news channel.

"Well, it was interesting. An object went missing, but the librarians are working on finding out what happened."

"And how's Angeline?"

"Mom, it's Anjali! It's an Indian name." I corrected, "And fine, I guess. Not that it matters to me."

"That's not what it sounded like last week." She teased. I sighed.

Last week, I had tried to ask Anjali on a date, only to be horribly rejected.

* * *

_"Oh, well, Aaron, you see..." She paused, and Aaron heard her hesitate, "I'm already going out with someone." _

_Aaron became furious. He knew exactly who it was. "Marc Merrit?" _

_"Uh, yeah. Listen, I'm really sorry." _

_"Sure you are. It's all the same with you girls. What happened to liking someone for their personality?" He snapped. _

_"Well, Aaron, you aren't too pleasant yourself." Then the line went dead._

* * *

After that incident, we had made up. I was, however, still angry at Marc. It was easy for him to get a date with whoever he wanted, yet he was obnoxious and selfish, not to mention dumb as a rock. I never understood what anyone saw in him.

After I ate a dinner of spaghetti with my mom, I went to my bedroom to get some sleep.

As I changed into pajamas and covered myself with blankets, I thought back to the day I had been recommended to work at the New-York Circulating Materials Repository.

I had just won a science fair. It was nothing too extraordinary, just a project on time travel. After the science fair was over, my science teacher had told me about the job, and had me meet Dr. Rust. The interview was a bit odd; he had me organize buttons and asked me odd questions such as "are you prone to breaking objects?" and "how often do you do chores?"

Nonetheless, I had been given the job. There, I met the other pages. Most of them I didn't care for; it was hard for me to like people, and even if I did, I never really showed it. Nobody tended to give me a second glance, anyway.

After awhile of thinking, I was overcome by tiredness, and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3: The New Page

I walked into the New-York Circulating Repository that Tuesday feeling a bit irritated. All during school that day, I couldn't shake off what Dr. Rust had told me Monday.

* * *

_"I'm very glad you decided to tell Ms. Callender what happened," Doc told Aaron, sitting on a comfy chair behind his desk. "Unfortunately, there was no mistake. The Electronic Thumb is missing. I called the patron who requested it, and they said they had nothing to do with it." _

_"Can you believe them?" Aaron asked, a bit battered by the news._

_"I do hope so. The patron was none other than my good friend, Stan Mauskopf." _

_"Well if it wasn't him, then who?" _

_"We're still trying to figure that out. In the meantime, keep watch for any suspicious activity." _

* * *

Of course, I hadn't told him about the odd people, because I didn't have enough evidence to back up my claim. When I worked in the MER, (Main Examination Room) last week, I had seen them sitting down and talking. It was two people; a man with slicked brown hair, wearing a sleek black tuxedo. On his right arm, he wore an odd watch. It was flat, with a touch-screen. The other person was a woman, a blonde, wearing her hair in a tight ponytail. She had on a black tank-top and cargo jeans. She had an earpiece in her right ear.

I didn't eavesdrop on them. I was too far away to do that. In fact, it was only when this object went missing that I thought of them again.

I punched in my card on the time clock, and Ms. Minnian, another librarian, told me I was on Stack 2 for today. Textiles and Garb. The place was dark, but only because light can be damaging to the clothing's materials, fading their color. There were some desks and lights in the front of the room, near the elevators, which were good for reading at. I sat down and took out a book, ready for another day of work. Stack 2 wasn't usually super busy, so I was able to relax a bit.

After about a half-hour, I heard the thump of a pneum falling into the basket. I set down my book, and took the pneum out. There was a call slip inside, and I put it under the desk light to see what item was being asked for. It was the ladies' parasol.

Suddenly, the door to Stack 2 was being opened. I didn't think anyone was working with me today. I looked up to see Ms. Callender with a girl, about my age. _That's right, _I remembered, _we're getting a new page today. _The girl was shorter than me, but just by a little. She had long, blonde hair that went a little past her shoulders. Her eyes were a nice blue color.

"Aaron, mind if we take that off your hands?" Ms. Callender asked me. _What was the new girl's name? _I tried to remember.

"Not at all," I replied, handing her the call slip. The new page looked a bit anxious, and was listening intently to Ms. Callender. They walked into the shelves to get the parasol, and I took out my book once again until they came back. I realized I would have to be helping her today, as Doc told me last week.

Once they came back, Ms. Callender told the girl she'd be working with me today, then left.

"So you're the new girl," I said, putting my book down, "what's your name?"

"Elizabeth Rew." She replied. _So that's it. _

"I'm Aaron Rosendorn," I told her.

"How long have you been here?" She asked, as I got up to get another pneum.

"Two years."

"Wow. You must like this place."

"It's hard not to." I said, thinking to the Wells Bequest.

"Do you have a favorite collection?" _This girl is just full of questions, _I thought.

"Why do you want to know that?" I took the call slip out of the pneum.

"I don't know. There are a lot of collections here, right? Like the textiles and garb, or I heard about some special collections on Stack 1."

"I suppose there are quite a few." I replied, avoiding the question. I couldn't tell her about the Wells Bequest. "And how did you get your job here?"

"My teacher, Mr. Mauskopf, recommended me." Elizabeth said. _That name, I remember that name..._

* * *

_"I do hope so. The patron was none other than my good friend, Stan Mauskopf." _

* * *

_That's right! Doc was talking about the patron who was requesting The Electronic Thumb! _

"What school do you go to?" I decided to ask her, to see if I could get a little more information.

"Fisher." She replied. _Ugh. _

"With Marc Merritt?" _She was probably one of his little fangirls. _

"Yes, he's in my health class."

"Good for you." I sneered. "Anyways, let's see what we've got here." I handed her the call slip. She looked at it for a moment.

"They're asking for a doublet." Elizabeth told me, making her way into the shelves and cabinets. I followed her, making sure she was going the right way. We found it, and she reached up to grab the object from the shelf. She looked like she was going to drop it, so I stood close just in case. She became tense, not paying attention to the doublet.

"Be careful with that." I told her.

"You're making me nervous standing so close." She replied, and finally got the doublet down from the shelf. I could tell that this girl probably didn't like me very much already.

She put the doublet into a dumbwaiter, and took another pneum out of the basket. We got the item it was asking for (a pair of black tights) and sat back down at the desks. I was reading my book, when Elizabeth decided to ask me a question.

"So, what _is _on Stack 1?"

I slowly looked up from my book. I wasn't allowed to tell her, so I didn't.

"Nothing you should know about yet."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She replied. I set my book down and gave my best look of irritation.

"It _means _that it's none of your business." I told her. I especially didn't want to give her information, since she was the recommendation of one of my suspects.

There was silence for awhile, until the girl decided to ask yet _another_ question.

"What are you reading?"

"A Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne."

"I love that book. Do you like it?"

"I could find out if you stopped asking me questions."

"Sorry."

To be honest, I felt a bit bad for snapping at her. It was her first day, after all, and we seemed to share an interest in sci-fi novels. I peered over my book to look at her, making sure I never made eye contact. She was sitting at one of the desks, doing nothing except staring into the collection. Her blonde hair was nothing out of the ordinary, but her eyes looked nice. I wished the cliche of comparing an ocean to blue eyes wasn't such a cliche, or else that's how I'd describe them. Her skin looked soft, too...

_Wait, what am I doing? _I thought, catching myself staring at Elizabeth.

Another pneum slipped into the basket. I reached over and grabbed it, taking a look at the call slip inside. It asked for scarves, one from France and one from Croatia. I gave it to Elizabeth, to let her practice. I followed her down the aisles, then back to the front after she had retrieved them. She set them on a desk and looked it over for any damage.

"These scarves are nice," She observed, turning them over in her gloved hand. I looked at them myself. The scarves were both made of silk, but different colors.

"They do look comfortable," I said, then added, "Croatian mercenaries wore scarves to display their rank. I don't think this is one of them, though."

"Oh. Well, that's interesting." She folded the scarves back up and sent them into the dumbwaiter. Elizabeth probably thought I was a know-it-all now.

Soon our shift was over, and I boarded the subway back home. I thought back to the theft, and decided that if anything else went missing, I would make it my duty to find out who was behind it.


End file.
